Efficiency Of New York City's Water Supply

Name: Professor’s name: Course: Date: Water Supply The state of New York has the most elaborate water supply system in the United States with its drinking water setting the standards among the world’s best in regards to the recommended quality for human consumption. The city’s quality of drinking water is above the federal government set standards as evident in the waiving of one of its sources from the mandatory treatment of its water before release to the supply line for the city’s inhabitants. The city’s oldest supply of drinking water, Croton Water Aqueduct System, was constructed in 1837 with a vision for the future growth of the city’s population and subsequent consumption of water. The city further invested in state of the art watershed in the 20th century serving approximately 9 million people within the city and its environs. The watersheds, the Catskill and Delaware, have proved invaluable to the city’s water consumption which stands at over a billion gallons per day. The two watershed have the capacity to meet 90 percent of the city’s water needs while Croton serves the remaining percentile. The city’s supply of water is enough to cater for the projected growth but faces various challenges necessitating the formulation of the 2011 plan for its water supply. The plan’s main agenda is to maintain the viability of the water supply system for its current and future generation by maintaining the quality of drinking water and enhancing the delivery services of the precious commodity. However, the implementation of the plan takes into consideration the environmental implications of the project and its effects on the energy needs and distribution of the city. Despite the fact that New York City has one of the best water supply system in the world, it still faces various challenges that should be addressed if the city is to continue enjoying the status. One of the challenges faced by New York’s water supply system is the rampant leakages as evident in the Delaware aqueduct which leads to disruption of the delivery services CITATION Mic11 \l 1033 (Michael, PlaNYC 2011; Water Supply). The growing energy needs for the city and the nation at large have seen increased calls for encroachment of the Catskill and Delaware catchment areas for natural gas exploration and mining. The old distribution systems or networks for the city also limit the smooth delivery of water to the residential areas thus requiring the construction of extra tunnels to efficiently and effectively deliver to the city’s residents CITATION Mic11 \l 1033 (Michael, PlaNYC 2011; Water Supply). It is in view of these and other challenges that the city unveiled a long-term plan that would ensure continued supply of quality water and reliability in its services. The plan is divided into four parts each designed to meet specific tasks and the recommended measures to effectively achieve the conservation and preservation endeavors. The first part of the plan is ensuring the quality of the city’s drinking water remains uncompromised. Maintenance and enhancement of the city’s water infrastructure form the second part of the plan, while modernization of the old distribution channels coming in third. The fourth part of the plan deals with improving th...